Plants, animals, and people living in Coastal North Carolina are influenced by large, shallow bodies of water, called "Sounds." The Sound's daily influence can be a challenge or a gift. The word "sound" also means "in good condition; not damaged, injured, or diseased." Sound Harvest and Garden will try to reflect both those meanings, as I aim for sound vegetables, herbs, chickens, eggs, and ornamentals, all from my home by Core Sound.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Cooperative Extension

I am a horticulture agent and county director for North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Carteret County, NC. I am in the process of setting priorities for our future programming, and could use your help. If you live in or own property in Carteret County, would you please take a moment to answer a 20 question, anonymous survey that will tell us which issues are most important to you? Just click on the link below, or cut and paste it to your browser. Thank you!

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I occasionally tweet, for those who are interested. Find me on Twitter @soundharvest.

What you may find here

For 7 years this blog reflected my personal gardening experience in a front and backyard on an island in Carteret County, North Carolina. Now I live up the beach, on another North Carolina island, in Dare County. For almost two years my focus has been on settling into a tiny, 720 sq ft cottage, built in 1945. It needed to be gutted and rebuilt, and my job was to design the layout so the house is both cozy and efficient. A few tiny fruit trees now are planted, and the massive live oak has been pruned a bit off our home and the neighbors'. It is beginning to feel alive, and like home.

The new town

Cottage home

About Me

Backyard Harvest totals

For one full year, in 2008, I weighed or counted everything I harvested from the yard, to show what you can do with small gardens and a little time. Here are the totals.153 pounds of Vegetables* (from 2 beds, 3 x 7 soil surface each, plus potatoes mixed into ornamental beds)771 Eggs (from four hens)62 pounds Honey (from two hives)44 pounds of Fruit (from one pear, one fig, one tangerine and one orangequat in the landscape)

Herbs: Not weighed. Harvest all we needed for fresh use, plus all the frozen and dried we can use: basil, cayenne peppers, flat leaf parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, cilantro

*Note that the hens destroyed the fall garden 3 times, resulting in very late final planting and tiny fall harvest. Fall usually is a very productive time of the year; it is possible to produce much more volume from these gardens.